Black Press Crowdfunding initiative making a difference in communities

Since BlackPress4Good launched last fall, positive things have been occurring in B.C. communities.

Extra food is being delivered to hungry children; an animal rescue has purchased much-needed supplies; and a single father is staying at home to care for his four-year-old who suffers from a rare, life-threatening disorder.

BlackPress4Good.com is an online platform that brings the popular and successful phenomenon of crowdfunding to Black Press readers.

Charitable projects, causes and campaigns are now able to deliver their message on the community level, safely and securely, in an online format to reach the vast digital audience and funding sources.

To date, more than $17,000 has been raised to benefit important causes in the communities served by Black Press.

BlackPress4Good is powered by FundRazr, Canada’s leading crowdfunding platform that has raised more than $62 million.

“Crowdfunding is having a huge impact and changing the way that communities support their members,” said Daryl Hatton, founder and CEO of FundRazr.

“It’s changing the way people can solve, or certainly make better, all sorts of different financial challenges.

“It really is one of the great ways for getting a community to help one of the members of the community solve a problem. It’s kind of a direct-action form of giving.”

Fundraisers register online via the link on this newspaper’s website home page, and provide information about their objectives and fund recipients. Their project profiles are then posted on a dedicated website page to reach out to readers, who can monitor the progress of a specific cause.

“The nice thing about the partnership with Black Press is that it gives [campaigns] a way to be published in the community using traditional media like newspapers and the online presence of the paper. Approved campaigns are published on your community newspaper’s website, helping you reach well beyond your social media communities,” said Hatton.

Anyone can start a campaign. This can include support for a loving pet that needs specialized care, creating a campaign in memory of a loved one, helping a family member cover expenses of medical treatment, or even raising funds for a wheelchair-accessible van. Perhaps your son or daughter wants to compete at the nationals and needs travel funds?

“You can really see the impact of a contribution. As opposed to giving it to a big project and your fifty bucks barely moved the needle on the $10-million project, if you give $50 to a friend who needs a thousand bucks to go in for emergency treatment for something, you know you made a difference,” Hatton said.

Launch a fundraiser campaign at blackpress4good.com and get your message out to your community.